{Tips for Clients} Hiring a Wedding Photographer

Time for another “Tips for Clients” post! This time though, it technically it isn’t OUR tips that we’re sharing… I recently came across this great article by Events Enjoy Co (a fab wedding planning & design company out of California) about hiring a photographer for your wedding. It’s an awesome article with some great tips, so I wanted to share it with all of you. :-)

PS – Read more of our tips for clients here.

Here’s the article… enjoy!

Hey folks! This is a big topic today. A big and a FUN one! If you are in the process of hiring a photographer or just need some general advice (Note: We are not photographers nor do we know an f stop from a stop sign) here is our take on hiring a wedding photographer – and finding one that you love – because we’ve helped with the process many, many times.

First off, we really want to get into the “why its important to find the best, most artistic, speaks-to-your-heart in-a-singing-lullaby-kinda-way photographer” before we get into some nitty gritty of things you should ask and wonder about.

You can have the prettiest wedding with the most amazing details, but if you don’t hire a photographer who sings to your heart like your most special details sing to you, the day will be lost. Take it from us, your wedding will go by in a flash. The next day you both will be wondering where it went and how it has become such a blur.

With that being said, there are photographers who take photos and there are photographers who capture MOMENTS – those moments you want to look back on forever. Many photographers can snap a photo like your Uncle Larry (and please don’t say you’re hiring your uncle)… but don’t you want to look at your wedding images and get teary eyed because the light, the feeling is just that special? Don’t you want to share them and frame them and have them be artistic pieces of your lives together – in your life? Of course you do! That’s why you find someone who’s work is just that – art. Beautiful art that makes your heart sing.

Professional wedding photographers are artists – artists of their craft. Their work not only reflects talent, timing and ability but it reflects their eye for things that others can’t see. You want THAT.

Q. I’m interested in a photographer. What questions should I ask?

A. Here are a few questions to get you started:

-How many photographers will be there on my wedding day?
-What’s your turn around time for images?
-Do you accept a limited number of weddings to ensure that you’re able to focus on each client?
-Do you have backup equipment? Backup photographers?

Q. I found a photographer that I LOVE, but their fee is more than I’ve budgeted for… what should I do?

A. Make room. Make room. Make room. Just like we said before, you will have these lovely images for years and years (and years) to come… so go for it and make room. 

We’ll leave some of the answers to our questions below to our trusty photo snapping local gal pal, Abi Q. Photography. We asked some questions, she answered:

Q.  If you could give any advice with regards to choosing a photographer to a prospective client, that you normally wouldn’t spill, what would it be?

A. Ask to see a full wedding, or two. A good photographer will know how to capture the emotion, formals, details and night shots – seamlessly.

Q. Does a photographer’s price always correlate with talent/experience?

A. Yes. It also has to do with their location and supply and demand as well… Here’s what I mean: If you’re a new photographer and just want photos to put on your website to show you’ve done weddings you might do 40 weddings in a year and shoot them all for $1000, which means your couples are “getting a deal”. But newer photographers have no idea of the costs of running a business, which means by the time they get to your wedding they’re burnt out and don’t care anymore. Or, they have no idea of the flow of a wedding day and are running around stressing YOU out. Many times new photographers don’t have back up equipment and have never had to turn around weddings in a timely manner. Which means you might not be getting your photos for 9 months (IF they’re contract is legit and they’re still in business!)

If you’re an established photographer, you don’t need portfolio work. You know what clients fit your style and what clients will be happy with their photos 20 years down the road. If I sense a potential client would be happier with a more traditional photographer, I don’t just book them to book a wedding. I refer them to someone I know will fit them better than me, and in the long run that makes a happier bride. I take a limited number of weddings every year to ensure each client gets enough attention and emails get answered in a timely manner. I have back up gear for my back up gear and a plan in case anything were to happen to me.

Q.  We feel choosing a photographer is one of the most important decisions when planning a wedding, how would you back up our oh-so-true statement?

A. Wedding days go by in a blur. In the end you’re left with a ring on your finger, a dress in your closet and your love by your side. Which is awesome. Don’t get me wrong. I loved my dress, my ring catches the light just right and my hubs is the only one for me. But my wedding photos… they tell the story of the day we became husband and wife. They show how little my siblings were, the stupid cry face i made walking down the aisle, the happiness in our eyes when we were pronounced man and wife. They capture a moment you’ll never have again. You can’t put a price on that.

…Seeeeeee, you can’t put a price on that. Again, we don’t know an f stop from a stop sign but we do know about hiring photographers. Hire one that sings to you. One that you love.

Cheers.
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Article written by:  Events Enjoy Co
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Bend the Light Photography specializes in wedding photography and engagement portrait photography in San Antonio, Texas and surrounding areas. San Antonio Wedding Photographer.